BIRMINGHAM,
Ala. ---- The Huntingdon College men's basketball team dropped its'
six game of the season, 92-85, to host Birmingham-Southern College in
the Birmingham-Southern Christmas Classic on Saturday afternoon. The
Hawks trailed 44-33 at the half, and struggled stopping the Panthers'
offense in the loss.
In
the first half, the Hawks' led 20-14 with 11:22 left in the first
half, prior to the Panthers' 12-0 run. Birmingham-Southern took a
26-20 lead after the 12 point run, before freshman Jason Varney's
three-pointer ended the Panthers' scoring streak.
Huntingdon
struggled scoring in the first half shooting 12-of-26 (46 percent),
while Birmingham-Southern extended the lead 41-30 from a 7-0 run with
4:41 left in the half. The Panthers shot 68 percent in the first
period, hitting on 15-of-22 attempts.
In
the second half, Huntingdon never regained a lead, but fought back
cutting the deficit down to six points, 89-83, after freshman Dayne
Smith converted a pair of free throws with :24 seconds left in the
contest. However, time was against the Hawks' comeback and
Birmingham-Southern finished with the 92-85 victory.
Senior
Deshaun Williams led the team with a season-high 20 points, including
a team-high four rebounds. Senior Ephriam Hudson added 18 points,
while senior Jack Montgomery contributed 12 points and four rebounds
in the loss.
For
the game, Birmingham-Southern held a 35-25 advantage on the glass.
The Panthers' converted 60 percent of its shots, hitting 29-of-48,
while Huntingdon finished 27-of-60 (45 percent).
Birmingham-Southern
(7-1) was led by Patrick Price with 17 points, followed by Blaise
White's 14. Zac Richards had a game-high 10 rebounds in the victory.
Huntingdon
(4-6) travels to New Orleans, La. On Wednesday, Dec. 22, against the
University of New Orleans (5-3). Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.